The House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) version of the fiscal 2025 defense authorization bill calls on U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) to demonstrate a hybrid, military-commercial space architecture through a pilot program.
The pilot should integrate at least one military satellite communications (SATCOM) system, such as Boeing‘s [BA] Wideband Global SATCOM or Micro Geostationary Earth Orbit (Micro GEO) satellites, HASC said. SSC said last fall that it is interested in developing Micro GEO satellites because of their increased maneuverability and smaller size.
Hybrid space architectures using U.S., allied, and commercial satellites “enhance resiliency and capabilities for data and communications paths for global national security and allied operations,” HASC said on May 13.
Such architectures “are critical to modern warfighting and implementing new warfighting concepts like Joint All Domain Command and Control,” the committee said.
Last month, the Pentagon released its first Commercial Space Integration Strategy (Defense Daily, Apr. 2).
DoD has said that it wants to leverage commercial space more in areas such as satellite communications, space domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, spacecraft operations, and environmental monitoring.